Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia nearly died after being poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury in March 2018. The attack, carried out by Russian assassins, led to them spending three weeks in comas and enduring a lengthy recovery, after which they have been in hiding.
Their ordeal began as they were eating lunch in Salisbury, experiencing symptoms such as twitching eyes, breathlessness, and vivid hallucinations. Yulia Skripal described the street appearing to swing around her, feeling like she was on LSD, and holding onto her father for support.
Sergei Skripal reported hallucinating about Arabic men and women. The incident prompted a major investigation by counter-terror police.
The inquiry is also investigating the death of Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old woman who died after inadvertently using a discarded Novichok nerve agent found in a perfume bottle. Suspicion fell on Russia due to the nerve agent being a Soviet-era weapon.
Police believe two men, identified as Ivan Yermakov and Aleksey Lukashev, used the fake names Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov to enter Britain before the attack. These individuals claimed to be tourists visiting Salisbury's cathedral spire.
The British government also accused them of hacking Yulia Skripal's emails. The men are also wanted by the FBI for alleged interference in US presidential elections.
The Kremlin maintains a position that double agents will ultimately "meet their fate."
